FAKE Fic: Working Together
Title: Working Together
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo. OCs.
Rating: PG
Setting: After the manga, and Vol. 1, Act 1.
Summary: Partnerships are like relationships; you get out of them what you put in.
Word Count: 1193
Written For: Theme Prompt: 188 - Partners at fandomweekly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
Cops worked in pairs; it had been that way since long before Dee joined the force, and it was a sensible precaution. The streets of New York, or any other big city, even a lot of small towns, could be hazardous for the people who chose to devote their working lives to upholding law and order. Better that every cop should have someone to watch their back, preferably someone they could trust. Not that it was always so simple.
Despite only being in his late twenties, Dee had worked with a number of partners over the years. His training officer when he was a rookie, his first partner as a fully fledged patrolman, who’d retired after less than a year, then Dave, who he’d worked with until making detective.
He didn’t count Officer Rick Herbay, that partnership had lasted only a few days and Dee had accepted the assignment with the sole intent of bringing a dirty cop down. Herbay had been a menace to society, a violent bully whose father was wealthy and powerful enough to sweep his son’s indiscretions under the rug. He had tried to ruin the careers of several other cops, but Dee had given him a taste of his own medicine, ending his reign of terror, and had made a couple of good friends in the process. It had felt good to see Herbay running from him in terror.
Before he’d died, Jess Latener, who had in many ways been Dee’s mentor, had made him promise to live his life honestly, and that was exactly what Dee was trying to do. By the age of twenty-five he’d worked his way up to detective, learned the ropes from Ben Carson, a senior detective with a reputation for sticking to the rules and getting the job done, then found himself without a partner when the older man had retired for health reasons. After that, he’d worked with anyone who was available, which he hadn’t minded since the other detectives of the 27th Precinct’s Serious Crimes Unit were all people he considered good friends.
“You’d better watch out,” Ted had told him one day. “You know it’s only a matter of time before you get stuck with a new partner, and it’ll probably be some freshly promoted newbie, still wet behind the ears.”
Dee had laughed. “No way, the Chief wouldn’t assign a rookie detective to a guy like me, but even if he did, why should I care?”
“Why? ‘Cause you’d have to train him.”
“What, like it’s so hard? I’ve been trained by the best. I can handle anything gets thrown at me.”
“You say that now.” Ted made the words sound as ominous as possible.
“If the old badger says I gotta teach a new child the ropes, I’ll do it. I’d be an awesome teacher.” Dee hadn’t really thought it would turn out that way, the two-seven would probably get a transfer from another precinct to make up the numbers, and there was no guarantee he’d be the one assigned to work with the new guy anyway. The Chief might decide to shuffle assignments around. Not that the existing partnerships within the unit weren’t working, but sometimes when people worked together for too long, they started getting into bad habits.
When the new guy arrived, however, Dee happened to be in the Chief’s office getting raked over the coals for something or other. He wasn’t sure exactly what since he hadn’t been paying all that much attention to whatever his boss was yelling at him, finding it was usually better just to stand there and tune him out, but the Chief was mad enough at him to lumber him with the newbie.
Despite everything he’d told his friends a few months earlier, Dee hadn’t been particularly pleased at getting stuck with the responsibility, but his annoyance hadn’t lasted long, because once he took the time to notice, he realised his new partner, Randy Maclean, was gorgeous. Dee had felt drawn to him almost from the start.
Now, here they were, three years later, still partners, although Ryo was now an experienced and capable detective in his own right, and probably better at the job than Dee himself. The two men had quickly become close friends, trusting each other completely, and since then they’d only gotten closer.
“How do you guys do it?” a detective from the neighbouring precinct asked them one evening. The four detectives were working a joint case, and they’d all gone out together for a few beers after work. The fourth member of their little group was currently queueing at the bar, since it was his turn to get the next round.
“Do what, exactly?” Dee asked, leaning back in his seat at their booth and stretching his long legs out.
“Work together so well. It’s like you each know what the other’s thinking.”
“That’s because we usually do. You work well with your partner, don’t you?” Ryo asked, puzzled.
“I guess. I mean, we do the job, because that’s what we’re paid for, but this, hanging out together after work… You do this often?”
“All the time. Why, don’t you and your partner?”
“First time we ever have in two years of working together, and we wouldn’t be here now if you hadn’t suggested it. I guess we both figured it was so we could brainstorm the case a bit more, but you guys haven’t said a word about it since we got here.”
“Yeah, that’s ‘cause I’m tryin’ to teach Ryo to switch off after work. He gets a bit obsessive over cases.”
“Like you don’t.” Ryo grinned at his partner.
“Never said I didn’t, but I know when to stop, and you don’t. You’re a workaholic.”
Ryo inclined his head in acknowledgement. “True, but not as bad as I used to be.”
“I’m a good influence.”
“Chief Smith would probably debate that.”
Dee snorted. “What does he know?” He turned to Detective Hanley. “You seriously never have drinks with your partner?”
Hanley shrugged. “We just don’t have much in common.”
“Don’t think I could work like that,” Dee admitted. “How d’ya trust someone to cover your back if ya don’t get along with them? I mean, sure, Ryo and I have our disagreements, but he’s my closest friend, there’s no one I trust more. I spend more time at his place than at my own apartment.”
“Only because it saves you having to cook or order takeout,” Ryo said with a laugh.
“Well yeah, you’re a way better cook than I’ll ever be.” Dee turned back to Hanley. “Maybe you should switch partners with someone else. Some people just aren’t compatible. Partnerships are a lot like relationships; if there’s nothin’ there to latch onto, they’re not gonna work.”
“Or you could try talking to your partner about something other than work,” Ryo added. “You might find you’ve got more in common than you think.”
“Don’t know about that, but I think I envy you guys.”
Ryo smiled. “Building a solid partnership takes time, but it’s worth the effort to know you’re working with someone you can count on, no matter what.”
The End
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo. OCs.
Rating: PG
Setting: After the manga, and Vol. 1, Act 1.
Summary: Partnerships are like relationships; you get out of them what you put in.
Word Count: 1193
Written For: Theme Prompt: 188 - Partners at fandomweekly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
Cops worked in pairs; it had been that way since long before Dee joined the force, and it was a sensible precaution. The streets of New York, or any other big city, even a lot of small towns, could be hazardous for the people who chose to devote their working lives to upholding law and order. Better that every cop should have someone to watch their back, preferably someone they could trust. Not that it was always so simple.
Despite only being in his late twenties, Dee had worked with a number of partners over the years. His training officer when he was a rookie, his first partner as a fully fledged patrolman, who’d retired after less than a year, then Dave, who he’d worked with until making detective.
He didn’t count Officer Rick Herbay, that partnership had lasted only a few days and Dee had accepted the assignment with the sole intent of bringing a dirty cop down. Herbay had been a menace to society, a violent bully whose father was wealthy and powerful enough to sweep his son’s indiscretions under the rug. He had tried to ruin the careers of several other cops, but Dee had given him a taste of his own medicine, ending his reign of terror, and had made a couple of good friends in the process. It had felt good to see Herbay running from him in terror.
Before he’d died, Jess Latener, who had in many ways been Dee’s mentor, had made him promise to live his life honestly, and that was exactly what Dee was trying to do. By the age of twenty-five he’d worked his way up to detective, learned the ropes from Ben Carson, a senior detective with a reputation for sticking to the rules and getting the job done, then found himself without a partner when the older man had retired for health reasons. After that, he’d worked with anyone who was available, which he hadn’t minded since the other detectives of the 27th Precinct’s Serious Crimes Unit were all people he considered good friends.
“You’d better watch out,” Ted had told him one day. “You know it’s only a matter of time before you get stuck with a new partner, and it’ll probably be some freshly promoted newbie, still wet behind the ears.”
Dee had laughed. “No way, the Chief wouldn’t assign a rookie detective to a guy like me, but even if he did, why should I care?”
“Why? ‘Cause you’d have to train him.”
“What, like it’s so hard? I’ve been trained by the best. I can handle anything gets thrown at me.”
“You say that now.” Ted made the words sound as ominous as possible.
“If the old badger says I gotta teach a new child the ropes, I’ll do it. I’d be an awesome teacher.” Dee hadn’t really thought it would turn out that way, the two-seven would probably get a transfer from another precinct to make up the numbers, and there was no guarantee he’d be the one assigned to work with the new guy anyway. The Chief might decide to shuffle assignments around. Not that the existing partnerships within the unit weren’t working, but sometimes when people worked together for too long, they started getting into bad habits.
When the new guy arrived, however, Dee happened to be in the Chief’s office getting raked over the coals for something or other. He wasn’t sure exactly what since he hadn’t been paying all that much attention to whatever his boss was yelling at him, finding it was usually better just to stand there and tune him out, but the Chief was mad enough at him to lumber him with the newbie.
Despite everything he’d told his friends a few months earlier, Dee hadn’t been particularly pleased at getting stuck with the responsibility, but his annoyance hadn’t lasted long, because once he took the time to notice, he realised his new partner, Randy Maclean, was gorgeous. Dee had felt drawn to him almost from the start.
Now, here they were, three years later, still partners, although Ryo was now an experienced and capable detective in his own right, and probably better at the job than Dee himself. The two men had quickly become close friends, trusting each other completely, and since then they’d only gotten closer.
“How do you guys do it?” a detective from the neighbouring precinct asked them one evening. The four detectives were working a joint case, and they’d all gone out together for a few beers after work. The fourth member of their little group was currently queueing at the bar, since it was his turn to get the next round.
“Do what, exactly?” Dee asked, leaning back in his seat at their booth and stretching his long legs out.
“Work together so well. It’s like you each know what the other’s thinking.”
“That’s because we usually do. You work well with your partner, don’t you?” Ryo asked, puzzled.
“I guess. I mean, we do the job, because that’s what we’re paid for, but this, hanging out together after work… You do this often?”
“All the time. Why, don’t you and your partner?”
“First time we ever have in two years of working together, and we wouldn’t be here now if you hadn’t suggested it. I guess we both figured it was so we could brainstorm the case a bit more, but you guys haven’t said a word about it since we got here.”
“Yeah, that’s ‘cause I’m tryin’ to teach Ryo to switch off after work. He gets a bit obsessive over cases.”
“Like you don’t.” Ryo grinned at his partner.
“Never said I didn’t, but I know when to stop, and you don’t. You’re a workaholic.”
Ryo inclined his head in acknowledgement. “True, but not as bad as I used to be.”
“I’m a good influence.”
“Chief Smith would probably debate that.”
Dee snorted. “What does he know?” He turned to Detective Hanley. “You seriously never have drinks with your partner?”
Hanley shrugged. “We just don’t have much in common.”
“Don’t think I could work like that,” Dee admitted. “How d’ya trust someone to cover your back if ya don’t get along with them? I mean, sure, Ryo and I have our disagreements, but he’s my closest friend, there’s no one I trust more. I spend more time at his place than at my own apartment.”
“Only because it saves you having to cook or order takeout,” Ryo said with a laugh.
“Well yeah, you’re a way better cook than I’ll ever be.” Dee turned back to Hanley. “Maybe you should switch partners with someone else. Some people just aren’t compatible. Partnerships are a lot like relationships; if there’s nothin’ there to latch onto, they’re not gonna work.”
“Or you could try talking to your partner about something other than work,” Ryo added. “You might find you’ve got more in common than you think.”
“Don’t know about that, but I think I envy you guys.”
Ryo smiled. “Building a solid partnership takes time, but it’s worth the effort to know you’re working with someone you can count on, no matter what.”
The End